Switch stand



May s, 19.24. 1,493,196

v L. A. GREEN SWITCH STAND Filed Dec. 26. 1923 5 'l [L7 E 7 /J Patented May 5, 1924. i

UNITEDTSTATES V tarte PATENT orme-a LOUIS A. GREEN,`0F .,PITTSBURKGI-I, PENNSYLVANIA.

' swrrcn STAND. i

Atpucation mea December ze, 192s. seriai no, 682,629.

To all 'whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, Louisy A. GREEN, a

citizen of the United States,and residing lapplicable for general railwayuse, I' have.,

more particularly designed the same for use in mine tracks and in connection with .other light-service railways.

The object which I have in view isthe provision of a durable and efficient, yet inexpensive and simply constructed switchstand, and which will be particularly adapted for use in the cramped spaces and small I1 clearances characteristic of railway tracks in mines, narrow tunnels or passages.

Generally speaking, my improved stand comprises a support or housing, usually mounted on and spanning the space between adjacent ties, and in which is journaled a vertically disposed pivot shaft whose lower end is provided with a crank arm linked to the movable switch rail, while the intermediate portion of the shaft is provided with a longitudinally slotted diametric opening engaged by one end of a bar whose other end is pivotally connected to the short end of the throw arm, the slot in the shaft permitting the bar to freely accommodate itself to the arcuate movement of its end connected to the throw arm.

Other novel features of construction, and also of arrangement of parts will appear from the following description.

In the accompanying drawings, Fig. 1 is an isometric view of my improved stand;

Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the same; Fig.

3 is a sectional view taken valong the line III-III in Fig. 2; Fig. 4 is a detail view of the pivot shaft and connecting bar, and Fig. 5 is an inverted plan view of the stand.

The following is a detailed description of the drawings.

A represents the support or housing, preferably formed of plate metal, its ends resting on and spiked to the adjacent ties l, while its intermediate portion is elevated to provide clearance for the stand mechanism.

At its center the housing is provided with vthe nut. ceive the cotter pin 7 to prevent accidental unscrewing of the nut.

a vertically disposed bearing 2 in which is liournaled the upper end of the pivot shaft B, the upward movement of the shaft being limited by its shoulder 3, a washer 4 being preferably interposed between the shoulder and the lower end of the bearing 2. The upper extremity of the shaft B protrudes above the bearing and is threaded to vreceive the nut 5 to prevent the Vshaft dropping out of the bearing, a washer 6 being interposed between the upper end of the bearing and' The shaft'isalso pierced to rey The lower end of the shaft B is provided with a radial crank arm 8 whose outer end is piercedfor the pivotal connectiongof the switch rod C which links the crank arm to the movable switch rail in the usual man- The shaft B is provided with a diametric opening 9 which is slotted longitudinally lof. said shaft, and in which is seated the fiattened inner end of a connecting bar D, the bar being thus free to move up and down in said slot relative to the shaft. The end of the bar may be upset or enlarged, as at 10 or otherwise provided with means to prevent the end of the bar becoming accidentally disengaged from slot.

E. is the throw-lever which is pivotally mounted at a point near one end by means of a bolt 11 extending through a hole in the throw lever and through a pierced ear or bracket 12 on the housing A.

The long or handle end of the throw lever E is preferably weighted, as at 13. The short end of the lever E is curved inwardly and provided with a circular hole or bearing 14 in which is journaled and through which protrudes the circular outer end of the bar D, said end being threaded to receive the nut 15 and pierced for the cotter pin 16.

The short end of the throw lever is bent inwardly, as shown, so that there will be no binding of the end of the bar in its journal in the end of the lever.

It is evident that as the throw lever E is swung from one side to the other, its point of connection to the outer end of the bar D will move through an arcuate path concentric with the pivotal connection of the lever E to the housing A, thus causing the bar D to move in a vertical plane, as well as a horizontal plane.

The resultant compound movement of the bar is -provided forby the slotted nature of the opening 9 in the shaft B, which ,permits the bar to shift or rock vertically without binding orcramping the rotary movement of the shaft which results from the horizontal movementy of said bar.

It is evident that my improved switch stand is of very simple -lconstructioin containing a minimum of parts, none of which are 'in themselves complicated. Thus requsite strength and ldurability may be successfully embodied in an inexpensive mechanism which will function vin :a highly Jsatisfactory manner, and without undue wear.

'What I desire to claim isz- 1. Ina switch-stand, lthe combination of a-support, a vertically disposed 7pivot shaft journaled in said support, crank-connection between said shaft and the 4movable mail of the switch, said shaft being provided with a longitudinally slotted diametric opening, a throw lever, pivotally mounted on said support, and a bar havingone end pivotally connected to the end of the throw lever while 'the other end 4of said bar is slidably mounted in said slotted opening.

2. In a switch-stand, the combination of a support, 'a vertically `disposed ypivot shaft journaled in said support, crank connection between said shaft and the movable rail of the switch, said shaft being provided with a longitudinally slotted diametric opening, a throw lever pivotally mounted on said support, anda bar .having one end journaled in a bearing hole in the end of the throw lever while its other end is slidably engaged in said 'slotted opening.

3. In a switch-stand, vthe combination of a support, a vertically. disposed pivot shaft journaled in said support, crank connection between said shaft and the movable rail of 'the switch, said shaft being provided with a longitudinally slotted oliametric opening,

1a throw lever pivotallyv mounted on -said support, and abar having one -end pivotally connected to the end of the throw lever wh-'ile its other end is inserted into said slotted opening `and is free to shift therein Vlongitudinally of the shaft.

Signed at Pittsburgh, Pa., this 14th day of December, 1923.

LOUIS A. GREEN. 

